Anais do Evento

The share of world energy consumption for electricity generation by source is primarily based on coal and natural gas. Within the last few years, state and local governments have implemented policies and programs to promote the growth of renewable energy shares. In Ecuador, as in other countries with high hydropower potential, the contribution of hydroelectricity is rapidly increasing without regarding long-term potential environmental impacts of power plants. This cradle-to-grave Life-cycle Assessment (LCA) studied the hotspots and potential environmental impacts of hydroelectricity generation of Ecuador, throughout the analysis of two representative plants of Ecuador: Agoyan (run-of-river type) and Paute-Molino (storage type), with 156 MW and 1075 MW of effective capacity. The Life-cycle Inventory (LCI) identified the different stages of hydroelectricity generation and gathered a database on resource inputs and waste outputs related to each stage during 50 years of operation, with 1 kWh as a functional unit. The construction stage is the leading contributor to the global impact as a result of high energy and raw material consumption, mostly, in the dam construction, hotspot of both systems. The Life-cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) quantified the potential environmental impact conforming with the CML 2000 midpoint impact categories, including Abiotic Depletion potential (ADP_e), Global Warming potential (GWP), and Acidification Potential (AP). Hydroelectricity generation in small plants can produce more impacts than large-scale plants conforming to most of the CML categories; which suggests that, in countries with similar hydropower potential, constructing fewer large-scale plants can reduce the global environmental impact. The methodology proposed in this paper serves as a means for predicting potential environmental impacts of renewable energy systems.